The invention relates to pedal supports for motor vehicles.
Pedal supports of this type are known in the prior art. German Patent Document DE 100 16 347.5 discloses a pedal support having a pedal spindle which has partial spindles spaced apart in the axial direction, and a bracket in which the pedal spindle is mounted in an enclosed manner, the pedal spindle, which consists of two half-spindles, alternatively being integrated on the pedal lever or bracket. In the case of pedal supports of this type, the bracket is usually fastened to the front splash wall of the bodywork, which wall partitions off the footwell in motor vehicles, which is also the structural space for pedal mechanisms, from the front in the direction of travel. The splash wall belongs to the bodywork parts, which, in the event of an accident, in particular a frontal crash, are at risk of deformation and are pressed into the footwell. There is thereby the risk of the bracket, which is fastened to the splash wall, and the pedal, which is mounted in it, being pressed in the direction of the driver's legs. There is thus an increased risk of injury to the driver's legs or feet.
A pedal support described at the beginning is known from German Patent Document DE 196 31 868 A1. An arrangement is disclosed therein for the mounting of a pedal lever which is arranged in a suspended manner and comprises a bracket, which is fastened to the splash wall of a motor vehicle, and two longitudinal struts whose inner sides contain bearing stubs on which the pedal spindle, which is of hollow design, is placed. Furthermore, an expanding device is provided which is designed, for example, as a wedge with sliding surfaces and supporting points for the wedge at the footwell-side ends of the struts. In the event of a collision, the support points slide along the sliding surfaces, as a result of which the longitudinal struts are pressed apart and the spindle stubs are pulled out of the hollow spindle, so that the pedal spindle can yield downward.
German Patent Document DE 42 44 386 A1 discloses a pedal mechanism for a vehicle, which has a pedal strut having two strut limbs which are arranged at a distance from each other and between which a pedal is pivotably mounted, a pedal spindle being inserted by its two ends into spindle bearings which are open toward the pedal spindle, and the pedal strut being provided in the region of its two ends with sockets for fastening the pedal mechanism between stationary components of the vehicle. Each strut limb has a region of deformation, the spindle bearings, which are connected to the strut limbs, being disengaged from the pedal spindle on exceeding a force, which is introduced into the pedal strut via at least one of the stationary components. It is ensured by the pedal being disengaged that, in the event of a collision, a risk of injury to the driver is largely eliminated.